A Bright Future
After the establishment of Jinxiu Pavilion, An Hongdou came up with two ideas.
First, we launched blind boxes featuring embroidered items.
Embroidered handkerchiefs are launched with the themes of "plum blossom," "orchid," "bamboo," and "chrysanthemum." Each theme has seven different styles. These handkerchiefs are placed in a delicate little pouch, and collecting all seven styles will unlock a mystery handkerchief.
The mystery piece is an intricately embroidered handkerchief, custom-made, making each one unique.
This series was an instant hit with the locals upon its release. Some were drawn to the exquisite designs of the handkerchiefs, some thought it was a good deal to buy a handkerchief and receive a small purse as a gift, and others wanted to obtain a unique, custom-made handkerchief.
Regardless of the purpose, the handkerchief blind boxes sold out quickly upon release. This delighted the girls at Jinxiu Pavilion, who became even more enthusiastic and hardworking in learning embroidery.
Second, we will launch wedding dress rental.
Nowadays, for ordinary families, a new dress without patches and a red veil are all that's needed for a daughter's marriage.
An Hongdou led the embroiderers to embroider a simple wedding dress, which was rented out by the day at an affordable price. She thought it was a good idea to fulfill the dreams of women to get married and to generate income for the embroidery shop.
Unexpectedly, no one wanted this wedding dress.
An Hongdou and Wu Linglong were very puzzled by this.
When Li Lai'er found out what they had been busy with these days, she made a special trip to explain to the two of them.
“Wealthy families won’t choose a wedding dress that someone else has worn, and ordinary families are unwilling to spend money on things that don’t belong to them. Therefore, your wedding dress won’t be able to be rented out,” Li Lai’er said.
"What you said makes a lot of sense. It's a pity that Hongdou and I put in all that effort for nothing," Wu Linglong said regretfully.
"How can we know how to improve if we don't try? Now we know that whether we can make a profit depends on the needs of our target customers. We can continue to promote our handkerchief series and develop other series such as round fans and hairbands."
“This wedding dress isn’t entirely useless. We can refine it and use it as a prized possession to showcase our embroidery skills. If a wealthy family wants to commission a wedding dress, we can let them trust our abilities,” An Hongdou comforted her.
"By the way, what have you been busy with lately? Hongdou and I are looking forward to seeing your results!" Hearing An Hongdou's words, Wu Linglong's mood improved, and her thoughts turned to Li Lai'er.
“Of course I’m busy with important business! Do you know the saying ‘what the superiors do, the inferiors follow’? I learned a principle when I was in the Xie family: people take pride in imitating those of high status. If all the prominent people in Qingyin County use our embroidery, we will naturally have no shortage of customers,” Li Lai’er replied.
"Given your status as the wife of the former county magistrate, achieving this goal shouldn't be difficult. I just don't understand why you didn't make good use of it? Instead, you needed me, an outsider, to devise a plan." Li Lai'er looked at An Hongdou, expressing her doubts.
“Your idea is certainly good, but I’ve always had some concerns. Wealthy families don’t worry about food and clothing, and they demand exquisite and novel embroidery. But ordinary people are different; they value practicality and don’t care about the complexity of the patterns, only whether the price is reasonable. Qingyin County is remote and has few wealthy people. In the long run, it’s more reliable to make small profits and increase sales to attract more customers than to rely on a few affluent clients,” An Hongdou explained.
“If it’s limited to this place, that’s true. But didn’t Second Brother start a security escort business? Have him help spread the word, and once he’s saved up some capital and embroiderers, he can open a branch in a wealthy city. I’ve seen that there are many destitute women in your apprenticeship, and they’re not married yet. I imagine they’d be willing to go anywhere to make a living,” Li Lai’er said bluntly.
"Hey! This is clearly between me and Hongdou, how come it sounds like it's about you?" Wu Linglong said, somewhat displeased.
“Of course. You are the bosses, and I am just a manager who will receive wages in the future. I am doing my best to earn more wages, after all, I have a child to support at home, and the lion’s share will still be yours.” Li Lai’er did not argue with her.
“Linglong and I have considered what you said, but we haven’t run the business well yet, so we can’t worry about anything else. One embroidery shop can’t satisfy all kinds of customers. We don’t have much room for trial and error, so we’d rather focus on stability first. After all, making money is secondary; our primary goal is to provide for these girls.” An Hongdou steered the conversation back on track.
“Not at all! If people who consider themselves noble were to use the same things as ordinary people, they would feel it would lower their status and would certainly refuse. But the reverse is quite different. If ordinary people could use similar items to the wealthy with a little effort, they would mostly be proud and think their lives were getting better and better. They might even think it was because of their own abilities and that their hard work had paid off,” Li Lai’er said.
“The difficulty lies in pricing and product selection. If it’s elaborate, the price won’t be cheap. If it’s simple and low-profit, high-volume, it won’t appeal to wealthy families. Ordinary people can’t afford decorative items, while wealthy families have plenty of everyday items,” An Hongdou said, troubled.
“I do have a way to discuss this with you,” Li Lai’er shared. “When I was at the Xie family’s residence, I noticed that although everyone in the household used rouge and face powder purchased from the same shop, the prices and quality varied greatly. The shop owner used different materials for packaging and distinguished them with similar but different symbols, dividing the shop’s products into different grades, from the ladies and young misses to the maids and servants. One shop handled all the business in the entire household.” “The masters of the Xie family used porcelain bottles and boxes, while the servants used bamboo jars and boxes. I even heard from the Xie family members that some used jade containers, but even the Xie family didn’t use them.”
“This plan is feasible! We can also use different threads to distinguish the embroidery, such as gold thread, silk, and cotton and linen, and then design different markings. For example, we can use a petal to represent the nobles, and the markings for the common people can be marked with the words ‘brocade’. After all, nobles like style, while common people like practicality. They will feel like they have made a profit if they embroider a few more words.” Wu Linglong’s eyes lit up and she said hurriedly.
“If that’s the case, I think we can divide the Embroidery Pavilion into an Upper Pavilion and a Lower Pavilion. We can select the best apprentices from each class to specialize in embroidery and earn money through their skills. Others who can graduate can enter the Lower Pavilion, where they can make small profits but sell quickly, mainly focusing on mending and daily necessities, targeting the general public. Those who really have no talent can be given priority to be hired as workers.” An Hongdou optimized the blueprint for the Embroidery Pavilion.
“Then let me make this clear first: I’m applying for the position of manager of the upper pavilion, just like you! I might be able to handle the lower pavilion, but it’s not my ambition,” Li Lai’er reiterated.
"This is the first time I've seen someone so shameless, so obviously a snob." Wu Linglong mocked Li Lai'er, unable to stand her.
"Everyone has their own ambitions. I'm just a bit materialistic. There's nothing to hide," Li Lai'er said nonchalantly.
“You have changed a lot,” An Hongdou remarked.
"Having narrowly escaped death, I've come to a realization. I've always been someone who loves wealth and status, so why should I force myself to live a life of poverty? Besides, I haven't done anything immoral or immoral; it's all just a matter of individual ability," Li Lai'er said.
“I haven’t been busy these past few days, because I have something to discuss with you two. I have a plan to make Jinxiuge’s embroidery famous in Qingyin County quickly, and even get it into the homes of the local nobles,” Li Lai’er said with a hint of pride.
"Stop keeping me in suspense, just tell me your plan!" Wu Linglong said impatiently.
“These past few days, I’ve visited several ladies as my third brother’s cousin, including the newly arrived county magistrate’s wife. Her family is also officials, and being new here, she’s trying to rebuild her social circle by organizing poetry gatherings, tea parties, and the like. I suggested she organize an auction, donating the proceeds to her apprenticeship program. This would allow her to quickly gain a good reputation, and also help her reclaim the position of county magistrate’s wife from you. You know, you did a lot to help the flood victims during the disaster, and you have a good reputation among the people. When people mention the county magistrate’s wife, they mostly think of you. The new county magistrate’s wife is naturally resentful.” Li Lai’er took a sip of tea and began her explanation.
"Of course, all the auction items will be provided by Jinxiu Pavilion. It's like the magistrate's wife is only organizing the attendance. She has no loss, only benefit, so she's very tempted. If you agree, you can prepare the auction items, and I'll handle the rest of the details. I guarantee Jinxiu Pavilion will become famous overnight. I think we shouldn't keep the wedding dress as the pavilion's prized possession for now. Qingyin County is too small to need it. We can use it as the grand finale item. There's a lady who's getting married soon, so we can bid on it. It'll be a good deal for both appearance and substance," Li Lai'er continued.
I have to say, Li Lai'er's move was quite clever.
Of course, Li Lai'er's ability to come up with this idea was inseparable from the knowledge she gained from the women of the Xie family.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, An Hongdou and Wu Linglong reached a tacit conclusion.
“Alright, Linglong and I will lead the girls to finish the embroidery. The auction and fame-making will be handled by you. If the results are as expected, we will sign a contract with you and officially hire you as the manager of Shangge,” An Hongdou said.
“But don’t get too cocky. I admit your idea is good, but what if no one is willing to bid? How will it end?” Wu Linglong was a little worried.
"Don't worry! Everyone who attends will bid. They're not after our items, but rather because the new magistrate is taking office, so they have to show their appreciation. Besides, although the proceeds are supposed to be donated to the apprenticeship program, the expenses for preparing the auction still have to be returned to the magistrate's wife! In the end, we won't lose money. The main purpose this time is to gain fame," Li Lai'er said.
It also creates opportunities for some people to legitimately receive and give gifts, An Hongdou added in her mind.
Although she was not good at this, she learned a little about the methods of these ladies after Li Zeli took office.
Rather than socializing, An Hongdou preferred to get things done. From this perspective, Li Lai'er's arrival was a real help.
However, Li Lai'er gave a reminder, and An Hongdou found Wu Linglong and asked her for a favor—that is, when Li Zeren goes on a delivery mission later, she should ask him to keep an eye out where embroidery is most popular.
The new magistrate and his wife are here. Li Zeli sees that they will not be returning in the short term, so it is somewhat awkward for her to stay here. If the new magistrate's wife is jealous, it will not be good for her future development.
"It's time to move to a different place," An Hongdou thought.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
